This rising quartet from a small/medium-sized company opened up on their dorm life, first salary, and hardships after debut.
On Sept. 3rd, the YouTube channel "Studio Suze" posted the Ep. 22 of the web show "Don't Forget Your Breakfast," featuring the idol band, QWER.
The four-member team, despite coming from the small label 3Y Corporation x Tamago Prod., raised their position in the K-pop scene by dominating the MelOn chart with their popular songs "T.B.H" and "Discord."
Since then, they cemented their name among K-pop fans by frequent and numerous invites from music festivals held by organizations and universities.
During the show then, MC Jang Sung Gyu expressed curiosity about the quartet's popularity is already reflected in their settlement fees.
While it usually takes years for other groups to break even after the initial cost of producing idols, QWER debuted by spending 1/10th of existing artists, and it's less than 1 billion KRW ($750k).
Hina, the group's maknae, confessed:
"It's been about 10 months (since we debuted) and we've only received one payment. We did get paid, but it was only 1,200 won ($0.90)."
Surprised, the studio got surprised and Jang blurted:
"Isn't this a slave contract?"
Thankfully, the members laughed and refuted it. In the show, QWER hinted at the treatment from the company, sharing their unique dorm structure.
Instead of having a separate agency and dorm, QWER rented an entire building with members living on each floor. The 4th floor is a common space, while the 5th floor is the practice room.
When Jang asked why they chose the location far from Seoul, CEO and YouTuber Kim Gyeran who founded the team explained:
"The first consideration was to make sure we lived in the same building. We needed a place to practice together, and if we were going to continue practicing, we needed good soundproofing, and that's why we needed a neighborhood. I don't want to disturb people due to noise."
Unfortunately, due to the expensive cost of living, QWER has to give up appearing on music shows in the meantime. Magenta stated:
"I have something to say about this. When we (as a band) set up for a live show, it costs more than the monthly rent here (for the accommodation)."
CEO Kim continued:
"The most expensive thing about this project is special expenses like instrument setup and sound."
QWER is a female idol band planned by YouTuber Kim Gyeran. Except for Siyeon, the three members were internet stars before their debut.
Hina was a TikToker, and Chodan and Magenta were AfreecaTV BJs.
As a result, there were initial critical views on the team, but later on, a lot of K-pop fans eventually showed interest, especially in their music.
Watch QWER's full interview below!
READ MORE: 5th-Gen Female Idol's Remark on Childbirth & Marriage Sparks Outrage: 'It's Our Duty To Reproduce'
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
